In "The New Valley," Josh Weil's finely crafted collection of three linked novellas, readers go deep into the Virginia hill country, and deep into the hearts of men -- these are serious and grave landscapes, where a spark struggles to take hold and flame.

In "Ridge Weather," Osby Caudill mourns the unexpected loss of his father and finds himself lonely on the land he always has called home. He struggles to speak what is in his heart, and so it is that at his father's funeral, he finds himself recalling his father's habit of naming his cattle. It is one of those oblique moments of loss colliding with memory that steals the reader's heart.

And then, as he struggles to reach out -- first with a roommate, an agronomy student who wants to save modern agriculture, then with a woman from the convenience store, then with a sick steer that he knows should be put down -- he finds himself constantly bumping up against the utter loneliness that encloses him. In one unforgettable scene, Weil describes how Osby rides the school bus driven by his oldest friend, just to be rousted by a sense of humanity -- the friend's driving routine, the cacophony of the children on the way to school, looking for just a little human warmth, a little something more.

That same sort of yearning characterizes Stillman Wing, the eponymous protagonist of the second novella. Stillman has retired, but his days are full -- he takes care of his health, makes sure to exercise, works on restoring an old tractor, and tries, time and again, to change the course of his daughter's life. She seems bent on gaining weight and rolling in the hay with every guy in town, much to Stillman's despair. Can they ever reach across the abyss to each other?

The final novella, "Sarverville Remains," is yet another quest for understanding and connection, as Geoffrey Sarver, who is "a little slow," falls in love with a woman who specializes in providing sexual favors to the young men of the town. He comes from a legendary clan, the Sarvers, who were wiped out in mysterious circumstances.

Weil's prose is quiet and assured, and these stories are completely unforgettable. There are so many sad places in America, where it is hard to carve out a life and seize upon a love. These stories are real heartbreakers, ringing true with loss and loneliness.